Hello All,

My name is Pedro, and a few months into my role as the new program director at NAMA, I wanted to take a moment to introduce myself and share some of the exciting experiences and lessons I’ve started to gather. But first a little about me:

I grew up in New York City, far from the ocean and without much encouragement to connect with marine life. That changed in 2021 when I had my first oyster. (I share more in this blog post about how that first briny kiss set me down a new life path.) Since then, I’ve moved to Maine, where my work has focused on uplifting underrepresented voices, safeguarding working waterfronts, and creating opportunities for aspiring, community-based aquaculture farmers from diverse backgrounds.

Throughout my career I’ve held a core belief in the power of collaboration and networks — building partnerships that break down barriers between climate justice, public health, education, and more. My predecessor, Brett Tolley, has done an awesome job bringing me to speed on what NAMA’s work and community are all about. Though I have big shoes to fill (literally!), I’m confident and motivated to support us on our collective path forward.

My first day on the job was in November at the Slow Fish gathering in Charleston, SC, where I jumped in with both feet. That day included a panel discussion with community-driven businesses embodying values-based seafood, featuring folks such as Amanda Swinimer of Dakini Tidal Wilds and Seaweed Commons, Lance Nacio of Anna Marie Shrimp, and Chef Cassandra Loftin of Goodness Gracious Grocery. Their stories continue to shape my perspective.

In February, I joined the NAMA staff retreat in Westerly, RI, where our team had the opportunity to connect, align our priorities, and reaffirm why we’re all here doing this work. One lesson that stood out: advocating for our communities isn’t just about strategy — it’s about people. We intentionally built spaciousness into our retreat agenda to have real conversations and get to know our team members, and our fishing friends from Rhode Island, better as people. We shared meals (yes, even cooking some ourselves), planned for the year ahead, studied the long arc of history, and carved out time to truly understand how our roles connect.

The retreat also helped me understand the patience and momentum required for true, grassroots movement building. When you’re deep in the work of advocating for small- and medium-scale fishermen, it’s easy to get caught in the urgency of the moment. But as we reflected on during our retreat, momentum is rooted; urgency isn’t.

On-the-ground lessons are often the most powerful, and getting to spend time with Frank Salustri, co-founder of Quonnie Fish Cooperative, while we were in Rhode Island, showed me just that. This co-op is an incredible example of fishermen working to bring local seafood to the people — and a reminder that doing things the right way isn’t always the easy way.

Right now, one of the biggest challenges facing commercial fishermen is bureaucracy tied to regulations. For Quonnie, the process of owning their own processing facility hasn’t been easy. But their dedication to expanding community access to fresh, locally caught seafood is unwavering. Their work is proof that patience and persistence are key to changing the landscape of seafood access.

The lessons from my early months in this role positioned me to support a powerful coalition of commercial fishermen, aquaculture practitioners, chefs, and environmental advocates during the Don’t Cage Our Oceans fly-in to Washington, D.C. earlier this month. It was inspiring to witness firsthand how everyone brought their unique perspectives together to move and educate lawmakers on the importance of protecting fishing communities who steward our ocean commons.

These past few months have been a whirlwind of learning, connecting, and finding my place in this movement. What’s been clear from the start is that this work is deeply personal to so many people, and I’m honored and humbled to be a part of it. There’s so much more ahead, and I’m excited to keep learning from and working alongside this incredible community.

To dive deeper into my journey into values-based aquaculture, and what fuels my passion for this work, read my full story here.

I’d also love to hear from you — whether it’s about your own experiences, thoughts on policy and strategy, or just to say hi! Let’s keep this momentum going, together.

Until next time,

Pedro

Pictured: Pedro Altagracia enjoys oysters on the half shell at The Shop by Island Creek Oysters in Portland, ME. Photo by Feini Yin.

In This Issue
Don’t Cage Our Oceans takes D.C.
Register for LCN’s Local Seafood Summit
Call to action from Block Corporate Salmon
Notes from the field
World Forum of Fisher Peoples
rejects UN Ocean Conference
News and media highlights
Navigating federal funding and policy changes
Updates and opportunities from our network